Newsday: The man who created the DA and took the party from 338,000 to 2.9 million votes
https://newsday.co.za/south-africa/28858/the-man-who-created-the-da-and-took-the-party-from-338000-to-2-9-million-votes/
Newsday interview: ANC is in a death spiral
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-gDZ7_zl_4 Tony Leon, former Democratic Alliance leader, diplomat and author, joins Newsday’s Antowan Nothling for a candid conversation about the ANC’s decline, the DA’s prospects and South Africa’s strained relationship with the United States. Leon explains why he believes the ANC is in a “death spiral” and warns that winning the most votes will not [...]
No, not every public affairs firm is Bell Pottinger
To draw a parallel between Bell Pottinger and the ordinary, transparent work of helping a lawful business make its case to the government is not just inaccurate – it is a malicious inversion of the truth so complete that it should give every citizen pause, writes Tony Leon. Given his appalling popularity ratings and his party [...]
Triangulate or tergiversate: The only two moves left in the political playbook
From Bismarck to Blair, the art of political triangulation has delivered landslide victories – but as Cyril Ramaphosa’s hollow pivot on immigration shows, co-opting the politics of others is no substitute for the courage to change your own, writes Tony Leon. If you want to get current politics down to a T here and everywhere, just [...]
The DA’s Kempton Park moment with a shock eight-vote win in Evaton
From the shock of Wakkerstroom in 1924 to the DA’s razor-thin eight-vote victory in a 98% black township nearly a century later, South Africa’s by-elections have often signalled shifts in the political weather long before the storm arrives, writes Tony Leon. Just over a century ago, on 17 June 1924, the National Party won its first [...]
Geordin’s gambit: Why aiming high beats treading water at 20%
New DA leader Geordin Hill-Lewis inherits a 25-year-old question from former French PM Lionel Jospin about whether his party can evolve from opposition to a genuine governing alternative – and he’s betting everything on a resounding “yes” for 2029, writes Tony Leon. Last month, France’s former socialist prime minister Lionel Jospin died aged 88. His death [...]
It’s Topical | Is Geordin Hill-Lewis the right person to lead the DA?
Geordin Hill-Lewis served as Chief of Staff to former DA leaders Helen Zille and Mmusi Maimane. He was the youngest Member of Parliament when elected in 2011, at the age of 24. Now 39, he takes over the reins from John Steenhuisen as the new leader of the Democratic Alliance. The question now is: what [...]
Next DA leader has great chance but also faces danger
Drawing on Boris Johnson’s wisdom about knowing when to leave politics, Tony Leon examines how John Steenhuisen and Helen Zille’s strategic departure creates both electoral opportunities and complex challenges for their successor, who must balance GNU participation with sharpened opposition to the ANC’s policy failures. A long time back, in July 2006, I read an article by [...]
From opposition to coalition: Can the DA survive its govt partnership? GalleryFrom opposition to coalition: Can the DA survive its govt partnership?
African National Congress (ANC), Corruption, Cyril Ramaphosa, Democratic Alliance, EFF, Elections, GNU, Helen Zille, Jacob Zuma, John Steenhuisen, South African Politics
From opposition to coalition: Can the DA survive its govt partnership?
Former DA leader Tony Leon argues the party faces an existential identity crisis as it navigates between its historic role as effective opposition and its current position as part of the GNU, with its upcoming congress serving as a crucial moment to determine whether the party has been “muzzled” by the ANC or can leverage its [...]
In conversation with Tony Leon
Join George Herald journalist Marguerite van Ginkel as she sits down with Tony Leon. Watch the full interview for a candid conversation filled with history, wisdom, and practical insights from one of South Africa’s most experienced political voices. https://youtu.be/nM6G6uhg8Dw